Planter.



PATENTED JULY 16, 1907.

w. BOYBR.

PLANTER.

' APPLICATION FILED APB. 11,1907

No; 860,440. PATBNTED JULY 16, 1907.

W. BUYER.

PLANTER.

APPLICATION mam APR. 8,1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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Z5 WzZZmwBg er WWW WILLIAM BOYER, OF REYNOLDS STATION, KENTUCKY,

PLANTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1907.

Application filed April 6.1907- Serial No. 366.784.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BOYER, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Reynolds Station, in the county of Ohio and Stateof Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Planters, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in planters of that type in whichthe corn or other seed to be planted is intermittently fed from thehopper for deposit into the ground by the action of an oscillating feeddisk having one or more feed openings therein to register withcorresponding outlets in the bottom of the hopper,

the object of the invention being to provide a planter of thedouble-feed type, to wit, having feed devicesat opposite sides of aframe thereof for planting two rows at a time, wherein improved meansare employed for alternately and intermittently operating the feed disksand simultaneously marking the hills or points of detion of the seedingmechanism at will; and also to pro- .vide a seed dropping mechanismwhich is readily interchangeablefor use in drilling and checking.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved planter.

Fig.2 is a central vertical longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 isa top plan view with the hoppers shown in section. Fig.4 is a verticalsection through one of the hoppers and the feed disk therein. Fig. 5 isa horizontal section taken onthe line 55 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an innerelevation of one of the ground wheels, with the driving axle in crosssection, showing the con- I struction of the ratchet mechanism forpermitting retrograde motion of the wheels in the operation of turn-:ing' the planter.

As shown in the drawings, the frame of the planter is preferably ofoblong rectangular form and comprises front and rear sections 1 and 2,each consisting of longitudinal side bars 3 connected respectively attheir outer ends by cross bars 4 and 5, the side bars of the frontsection being further connected by supplemen tary cross bars 6 and 7.The side bars of the frame sections are pivotally connected at theirmeeting ends, as

' at 8, to permit them to have independent play to conform toinequalities in the surface of the ground, thus structure. Suitabledraft attachments are provided upon and connected with the front crossbars 4 and 6, and to the rear cross bar 5 is pivotally secured one endof a rod or pole 9, carrying at its opposite or free end a revolublecutting or scoring disk 10, thus forming a marking device which isadapted to be reversed for use upon either side of the frame to mark offthe distance between rows. The marker is stayed by a cord or cable 11attached at its rear end to the rod 9 and at its forward end to aswinging arm or lever 12 pivotally connected, as at 13, to the center ofthe cross bar G, thus allowing said arm to be swung to either side ofthe center of the frame in the reversal of the marker. A drivers seat 14is supported from the rear section of the frame by a standard 15 fixedto the cross bar 5.

The side bars of the frame section 2 are provided with bearings 16 for atransverse shaft or axle carrying combined supporting and coveringwheels 18, which wheels are loosely mounted upon the shaft. Keyed toeach end of the shaft is a ratchet wheel-19, the teeth of which areengaged by pawls 20 held in engaging position by springs 21, said pawlsand springs being mounted upon the hub of the adjacent wheel. The pawland ratchet mechanism associated with each wheel is provided to fix thesame to the axle and permit the wheel to turn loosely in a backwarddirection when the planter is turned, the pawls engaging the teeth ofthe ratchets in the forward movement and slipping over the teeth in therearward movement, as will be readily understood. These devicesconstitute no part of my invention, as they may be of any of the wellknown constructions in common use.

Arranged on each side of the section 1 of the frame is a hopper 22,having a bottom plate 23 secured to the adjacent side bar 3, whichbottom plate is provided with one or more openings communicating with aguide chute 24 secured to and depending from the frame and into whichthe seed drop and by which they are conducted to the ground. In advanceof each chute is disposed a shoe or furrow opener 25 secured thereto andto the frame in any suitable manner.

Each hopper is provided with an upper or false bottom 26 havingoppositely arranged outlet openings 27 communicating with an underlyingchamber 28 arranged between the same and the bottom proper 23, in whichchamber is disposed a horizontal feed wheel or disk 29 mounted tooscillate upon a vertical shaft or axis 29. This wheel or disk is formedwith two sets or pairs of discharge openings 30 and 31 arranged atdiametrically opposite sides thereof, and is also provided withoppositely arranged openings 30 and 31. The discharge openings 30 arelarger than the openings 31 and designed to be used in checking ordepositing preventing undue stiffness or rigidity of the frame i theseed at regular intervals in hills, while the smaller openings 31 areintended to be employed in drill ing. A laterally shifting supportingplate 32 is arranged between the side bars of the frame and providedwith forwardly extending arms 33 to rest upon the cross bar 7, saidplate being otherwise free from connection with the frame. plate rises apivot bolt 34 upon which is mounted a laterally swinging head 35carrying at its rear endlateral ears 36 to which are pivotally connectedthe rear ends of diverging links 37 provided at their forward ends withwrist pins or studs 38 to pivotally engage the openings 30 or 31 in thefeed disks of the opposing hoppers. The head 35 is rigidly mounted onthe bolt 34 to swing therewith and carries an angular head or boss 39through which passes a pin or bolt 40 on which are pivotally mountedears 41 extending forwardly from a U-shaped bracket 42, in which isjournaled a contact member 43, preferably comprising a loosely rotatingfrusto-conical roller. Also fixedly mounted on the bolt 34 is a springplate or arm 44 arranged above and spaced from the head by a sleeve 45and held upon the bolt by a nut 46. The portions of the bolt upon whichthe head and arm are fixed are of polygonal form to engagecorrespondingly shaped openings in said parts, and in addition to thesleeve 45 spacing the head from the arm a sleeve or washer 47 isprovided to space the head from the plate 32 to clear it in itsmovement, the lower end of the bolt turning loosely in the plate, aswill be readily understood. The rear end of the plate 44 engages thepolygonal boss 39 to prevent tilting movement of the bracket 42 and actsas a spring dog to hold said bracket in normal or operative position.The bracket may, however, be tilted upwardly and forwardly to ahorizontal position against the spring pressure of said dog andmaintained in such po sition by the engagement of the dog with anotherangular face of the boss, by which the bracket and the contact member 43carried thereby may be thrown out of the path of the operating cams onthe axle by which motion is transmitted thereto to operate the feeddisks.

The contact member 43 is adapted to be alternately engaged by the camson each half revolution of the axle l7 and swung laterally in oppositedirections, thereby transmitting corresponding movements to the head 35and through the same to the links 37, thus alternately oscillating thefeed disks in opposite directions, in which movement the plate 32 alsoshifts slightly to permit free motion of the head and its supportingbolt 34. Assuming that the feed openings 30 are in use, it will thus beunderstood that the movement of each disk in one direction will move oneof said openings into dropping register with one of the hopper outlets27 and that the reverse movement of the disk will move the other opening30 into register withthe other hopper outlet 27, and that accordinglythe reverse movements of the disks will result in the simultaneousdeposit of seed in the hills of two adjoining rows. By disconnecting thestuds or wrist pins 38 from the openings 30 and turning the disks toengage said studs with the openings 31*, the openings 30 will be thrownout of operative position and the openings 30 brought into position tocoact with the outlets 27, thus rendering the disks reversible for usein the operations of checking and drilling.

To the forward end of the plate or arm 44 is attached From the center ofthis a rope, cable or other flexible connection 48 arranged to move.over a guiding and supporting pulley 49 carried by the plate 32, theends of said connection being suitably attached to the shanks 50 ofmarking blades 51, said shanks being pivotally connected with the crossbar 7, as indicated at 52. In the reverse movements of the head 35motion will be communicated to the connection 48 to elevate one of themarkers 51 and permit the other to drop down into contact with theground, thus marking the hills or points where the seed is de positedinto the ground. It will be observed that the wheels 18 are arrangedimmediately in rear of the chutes 24, so that they will cover and packthe seed.

On the axle 17 is revolubly mounted a frame 53, to the ends of which aresecured arms 54 which respectively carry actuating earns 55 and 56adapted to engage the contact device 43. These cams are preferablyformed by angularly bent and arcuately curved rods having theirsemicircular cam portions arranged obliq uely to the center line of theframe in oppositely extending relation on opposite sides of the axle toalternately engage and shift the contact device 43 in oppositedirections on each complete revolution of the axle, thereby effectingthe operation of the dropping devices in an obvious manner. A ratchetwheel 57 is fixed to the axle and engaged by spring-actuated pawls 58carried by the frame 53, the teeth of the ratchet wheel being soarranged that the said frame 17 and the cams carried thereby will belocked to the axle to rotate therewith on the forward motion of theplanter, while the pawls will be permitted to slip over the teeth toprevent operation of the cams when the planter is backed.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the construction and mode of operation of thedevice will be readily understood, and it will be seen that theinvention provides a simple form of planter of the type describedwhereby an easy and efficient operation of the parts will be ob tained,and the seed planted and the points of deposit of the same markedsimultaneously.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:-

1. In a planter, the combination of a supporting frame carryingoppositely arranged hoppers, a drive shaft 'journaled on the frame, camson the shaft, a head arranged to be laterally oscillated by said cams,oscillatory feed -disks in the hopper, operating connections between thehead and feed disks, and markers carried by the frame and adapted to bealternately raised and lowered as the head oscillates.

2. In a planter, the combination of a supporting frame carryingoppositely arranged hoppers, a drive shaft journaled on the frame, camson the shaft, an oscillating head nected with the head and disks, saidlinks and disks being I adapted to be connected for the use of eitherset of openings, and markers connected with the head for alternateoperation.

4. In a planter, the combination of a supporting frame carryingoppositely arranged hoppers, oscillatory discharge devices in thehoppers, means for operating said devices, 1 the head, pivoted markers,and a connection between the and markers alternately operatedsimultaneously with the markers and the head, whereby the markers willbe simulrespective discharge devices. taneously operated in alternationwith the respective l'eed 5. In a planter, the combination of asupporting frame disks. .5 carrying oppositely arranged hoppers, a driveshaft jour- In testimony whereof, I atlix my signature in presence 15naled on the frame, cams on the shaft, an oscillatory of two witnesses.head, anengaging device carried by the head and adapted WILLIAM BUYER.to be engaged by the cams, said engaging device being Witnesses: adaptedto be moved to an inoperative position, oscillatory WILLIE BROOKS,

10 feed disks in the hoppers, links connecting, said disks with J. \V.HAYNES.

